A greener future

PGA Tour tournament funds Oak Cliff school

The Byron Nelson Golf Championship draws professional golfers from all over the world for a week of competition in Irving each May.

The Oak Cliff-based Salesmanship Club of Dallas produces that PGA Tour tournament, which has raised $137 million since 1968.

All of the proceeds go to the club’s education nonprofits. The flagship of those is the Momentous Institute, a school for pre-k through fifth-graders near Adamson High School.

The charter school serves children at risk for poverty and focuses on the social and emotional health of students and families.

Every 3-year-old child at the Momentous Institute can tell you the three main parts of his or her own brain — the cerebellum, the cerebrum and the brain stem — and what their basic functions are.

One lesson every Momentous child receives starts with a bouncy ball filled with glitter. A teacher shakes the glitter ball: “This is how your brain looks when you’re upset and irrational.” With calming deep breathing techniques, taught beginning in pre-k, children learn to “settle their glitter” and think as their highest selves.

The Salesmanship Club of Dallas started in 1920 with a mission to create better education opportunities for impoverished youth. It started with troubled adolescents, and over the decades, members realized they had to serve even younger children for the best results.

On average, children raised in poverty are about 1.5 years behind other children by age 4. Once that learning gap exists, it is difficult to close. Poverty can cause stress and poor interfamily relations, among other ills. The institute found that in order for children to receive a good education, their mental wellbeing must be nurtured.

Social and emotional health is part of the fabric of the school’s curriculum. A textured wall outside the library invites students to run their hands over it; this stimulates their brains. Fourth-graders are asked to write down something for which they are grateful every day; this trains their thinking toward optimism. At the end of the day, fifth-graders are asked to talk about things that happened and strategies they learned; this teaches them to analyze and learn from their mistakes and successes.

Students are encouraged to experience their environments, talk about themselves and engage in the school community. They’re expected to take initiative, be leaders. The same goes for parents, who must contribute at least 12 volunteer hours each year. Every teacher visits each of his or her student’s home before the school year begins to break the ice between teachers, students and parents.

“We create enough space around kids so they’re not constrained,” says the school’s executive director, Michelle Kinder. “They develop an internal sense of right and wrong rather than just knowing what the rules are.”

The school emphasizes college graduation, and alumni success rates are stellar. About 97 percent graduate from high school, an A plus. The overall graduation rate in Texas is an F, with about 56 percent of those who enroll as high school freshmen completing their senior year. About 86 percent of former Momentous Institute students enroll in college, compared to 59 percent of overall Dallas ISD graduates. Out of the school’s 32 original 3-year-old preschoolers, 25 are current college seniors.

Along with the school, the Byron Nelson tournament and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas also fund a therapeutic preschool in northwest Dallas for children whose behaviors have caused them to be expelled from other preschools.

Beyond that, the Momentous Institute aims to touch the lives of “children we will never meet,” by training educators in its methods of addressing social and emotional health.

“Teachers are our hungriest audience for this,” Kinder says. “They’re the ones who see these problems first hand, and when we give them the tools for social emotional health, they adopt it very quickly.”

See more photos online at oakcliff.advocatemag.com.

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Preservation

Two neighborhood landmarks received Preservation Dallas awards last month. The Kiest Park pergola originally was built in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration but had fallen into disrepair by the 1980s. The city allocated $2 million from a bond election to rebuild the pergola in 2006; however, it took the persistence of the Friends of Oak Cliff Parks to nudge the city to tackle the project, which was completed about a year ago. The “graffiti house” was a vandalized old farmhouse behind the Belmont Hotel, which was renovated starting in 2012. It is now part of photographer Manny Rodriguez’s studio.

Education

The Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce selected Sunset High School band instructor Rametria Smith as its high school educator of the year. Since she took over the Sunset band program about 10 years ago, it has improved significantly. There are now two concert bands, a marching band and two ensembles. The marching band practices about eight hours a week outside of class and has won many accolades, including the high school battle of the bands. The chamber’s other winners are Sue Kavli of Dallas Baptist University, Tonikka “Toni” Dickerson of KIPP TRUTH Academy Middle School, Carmalie Sims of George Washington Carver Creative Arts Learning Center, Barbara McGinley of Rosemont Primary School and Nancy De la Pena of Faith Family Early Childhood Center.

Healthcare

Methodist Health System Foundation appointed Robin Daniels as vice president of development. Daniels will lead key capital campaigns and work with North Texas leaders to further the mission of Methodist Health System. She joined the system in October 2012 as director of community and public relations for Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Daniels was promoted to assistant vice president of external relations in October 2014. Daniels graduated from SMU with a bachelor of fine arts and an MBA. Prior to joining Methodist, Daniels served as president of SONUS, a Dallas-based integrated marketing agency.

Methodist Health System received the distinguished Texas Award for Performance Excellence from the Quality Texas Foundation. The award is the result of “a comprehensive application process that includes a demonstration of performance excellence in the areas of organizational leadership, strategic planning, customer and workforce focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, and process management and results.”

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Lakehill Preparatory School

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep.org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

4019 S. Hampton Rd. Dallas 75224/ 214.331.5139 / www.saintspride.com / PK3-8th Grade. St. Elizabeth of Hungary offers a full day curriculum for PK3-8th Grade, including English Language, Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Religion, Technology, Athletics, Art, Music, Spanish, and Library. Caring teachers enhance curriculum with individualized attention and hands-on interactive participation. St. Elizabeth is a model of diversity, rich, and reflective of the ethnic and economic composition of the community it serves. Join us for an informational school tour and see for yourself how easy it is to become a Saint! Call 214.331.5139 for information.

School

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org

Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service. St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency

214.560.4203

Baptist

CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / 214.942.8601

Serving Oak Cliff since 1899 / CliffTemple.org

English and Spanish / 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:45 am Worship

GRACE TEMPLE BAPTIST MULTI-CULTURAL CHURCH

Sunday Worship: English Service 9:30 am / Spanish Service 11:00 am

831 W. Tenth St. / 214.948.7587 / gracetempledallas.org

Disciples Of Christ

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

Methodist

OAK CLIFF UMC / 549 E. Jefferson Blvd. / oakcliffumc.org

Young Adult Gathering & Worship “The Cliff” 9:30 am / Contemporary Worship 11:00 am (Bilingual) / facebook.com/oakcliffumc

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

KESSLER COMMUNITY CHURCH / 2100 Leander Dr. at Hampton Rd.

“Your Hometown Church Near the Heart of the City.” 10:30 am Contemporary Service / kesslercommunitychurch.com

Presbyterian

OAK CLIFF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6000 S. Hampton Road

Sunday Worship at 9:30 am & 11:05 am 214-339-2211 / www.ocpres.com